The Dallas Cowboys were expected to roll into Arizona and roll over the Cardinals on Sunday.
The host team had other ideas and made the Cowboys pay for every mistake they made on both sides of the ball.
And Dallas made way too many errors in a 28-16 loss to drop Dallas to 2-1 on the season.
Arizona used several huge running plays to jump out to an early 15-3 lead over Dallas in the first half.
The Cowboys rallied back to with five points in the second half. But the mistakes finally caught up with them as Arizona closed out the upset victory.
The Cowboys were playing without Trevon Diggs for the first time on defense.
Arizona targeted his replacement, DaRon Bland, early and often.
The Cowboys’ offensive line was also missing three starters. Prescott was sacked twice and hurried on many other pass attempts.
The Cowboys moved the ball up and down the field until they reached the redzone.
Once there, Dallas settled for one touchdown, three field goals, an interception, and a turnover on downs.
First Half Woes
Arizona took the opening kick and landed a haymaker on the second play of the game.
Quarterback Joshua Dobbs gashed the Cowboys’ defense on a 44-yard run. The defense stiffened, forcing Arizona to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Matt Prater.
The Cowboys’ first possession started with two Tony Pollard runs for four total yards.
Two penalties, — a false start and a delay of game — put Dallas in a third-and-16 hole. A one-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Rico Dowdle forced Dallas to punt the ball away.
Arizona’s second possession was fueled by big plays. Two plays after a 17-yard pass play started the drive, a pass interference call on Bland put the ball into Cowboys’ territory.
James Conner uncorked a 20-yard run on the next play. Four plays later, Conner ran around end for a five yard touchdown.
Arizona elected to go for two and the try was stuffed to keep the Cardinals’ lead at 9-0 with 6:12 left in the quarter.
The Cowboys’ offense finally got going in its second possession of the game. Dallas called eight straight pass plays – including two sacks.
The 10-play drive stalled at the Arizona 31. Brandon Aubrey nailed a 49-yard field goal to get Dallas on the board.
On the drive, Hunter Luepke caught his first NFL pass, a 12-yard catch for a first down.
Michael Gallup also caught a key pass and turned it into a 19-yard gain.
Cardinals Respond
Arizona answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 45-yard scoring run by Rondale Moore. The Cardinals missed another two-point try for a 15-3 lead with 12:31 left in the half.
Dallas responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive as Prescott connected with Dowdle on a 15-yard scoring pass.
Aubrey’s extra point made it 15-10 Arizona with 5:32 remaining in the half. Tony Pollard had five carries for 34 yards on the drive.
The Cardinals scored on their fourth possession, a 43-yard field goal by Prater for an 18-10 lead with 1:28 left.
Prater had hit a 51 yarder with just under two minutes remaining. But another offsides penalty gave Arizona a first down.
Arizona still got the three points but killed off another 30 seconds off the clock from Dallas’ final possession of the half.
Dallas’ fourth drive started well. But a 12-yard pass to Lamb that would have been a first down near midfield was wiped out by a questionable offensive pass interference call on Lamb.
The drive stalled and Dallas punted the ball away with 25 seconds left.
The Cardinals moved the ball 27 yards in five plays and Matt Prater hit a line drive 62-yard field goal to close the half with a 21-10 Arizona lead.
The Cowboys were flagged for 10 penalties for 72 yards in the first half. The defense yielded 182 rushing yards on just 16 carries.
Dobbs finished the half 12-for-15 for just 84 yards.
Prescott also had 84 yards passing in the half on 12-of-18 passing. Pollard had 50 yards on nine carries.
Second Half
The Cowboys got the ball to begin the second half and went on a 13-play, 67-yard drive.
A huge Prescott pass to Lamb for 32 yards. A Prescott scramble for 13 yards and a first down fueled the drive.
But the drive stalled and Dallas settled for a 27-yard field goal by Aubrey to cut the lead to 21-13.
The Cowboys defense came out angry. They shut down the Cardinals’ first possession of the half on three plays.
After forcing a punt, KaVontae Turpin had a massive 51-yard return wiped out by yet another penalty.
Prescott began the second drive of the half with a 27-yard pass to Gallup. Then hit Lamb for 10 more yards.
Pollard then ripped off a 32-yard run for a first down at the Cardinals’ 11.
But the drive died at the five as Dallas went for it on fourth down. But the pass play failed to get the first down.
Micah Parsons finally announced his presence with a sack of Dobbs to close out the third quarter on third down.
The Final Quarter
The Cowboys got the ball to start the fourth quarter after the Cardinals’ punt. Dallas quickly marched downfield.
But after 11 plays the drive stalled once again inside the 10. Aubrey’s 26-yard field goal made it 21-16 with 9:33 left.
The Cardinals hit on a 50-yard bomb on a blown coverage. Dobbs found Michael Wilson wide open on the first play of the drive.
The Cardinals cashed in with a touchdown from Dobbs to Marquise Brown for a 28-16 lead with 7:22 left.
The Cowboys used the running game to drive the ball back inside the Cardinals’ 10.
But on third and goal, Prescott threw his first interception of the season to end the drive and seal the Cardinals’ win.
By The Numbers
Prescott finished the game 25-for-40 with 249 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Pollard had 23 carries for 122 yards.
The Cowboys are 56-35-1 all-time against the Cardinals. The first game played between the teams was on Oct. 23, 1960, a 12-10 St. Louis win.
The Cardinals won the first six games played between the two teams between 1960 and 1963. Dallas’ first win came on Dec. 15, 1963, a 28-24 win at St. Louis.
Dallas’ record against the Cardinals since the team moved to Arizona is 24-17. The Cowboys are 10-11 against the Cardinals on the road.
Dallas was 14-11-1 in games played against the Cardinals in St. Louis and 18-7 at Texas Stadium and the Cotton Bowl.
Dallas has now lost their last three games overall against Arizona. The last Dallas win came in 2017, a 28-17 victory at Arizona.
The Cowboys have lost the last three games against the Cardinals played in Arlington.
The last time Dallas defeated Arizona at home was a 34-13 victory at Texas Stadium on Oct. 30, 2005.
Next Week
Dallas hosts the New England Patriots on Sunday. Kickoff for the game is set for 3:25 p.m. (CDT).
The Cowboys are 8-6 all-time against New England. The Patriots hold a 288-284 scoring advantage over Dallas in their 14 meetings.
Dallas is 4-2 at home against the Patriots but New England has won the last two games in Texas and hold a 132-126 scoring advantage.
The Patriots beat Dallas 48-27 at Texas Stadium in 2007 and 30-6 at AT&T Stadium in 2015.
The Cowboys had won the first four meetings in Dallas between 1971 and 1996. The 1971 victory was the first game ever played at Texas Stadium.
The teams are 4-4 – with Dallas holding a 158-156 scoring edge – in games played in New England.
The Cowboys won the first three meetings between 1975-1987. The Patriots rallied for four straight wins from 1999-2019.
Dallas won the last meeting between the teams, a 35-29 win in overtime, in 2021 on the road in New England.